I'm coming to you to pick your brains for some of the best cyborg warriors you can think of.

I'm running a sort of horror/sci-fi one-shot loosely based on Bioshock and aliens, which is ticking all the boxes for recurring creepy enemies. The PCs are exploring an abandoned medical research centre, and end up facing a series of cyborg threats.

Central to the plot are "Servitors," originally created as fetchers and carriers, then repurposed into surgical staff as doctors died or left and finally used as suppressors and soldiers when their facility was overrun by rioters and insurgents.

The Servitors, in time, became made from plague victims and terminally ill patients, and so many of the more bloodthirsty ones are in great pain and feel resentment towards anyone trying to intrude.

There are a few "grades" of them, ranging from thin and dextrous ones armed with scalpels and dentist's drills up to huge seven-foot security cyborgs which are either unarmed but can punch a hole in a soldier wearing full body armour, or carrying what are basically very small LB-X Autocannons and other heavy weapons.

Yes, it's a little derivative of Bioshock's Big Daddies, but that's what I'm trying for. The horror aspect is ramped up when it's revealed that although the cyborgs claim to be working on orders from THE MISTRESS, they aren't. Their mistress is trying to find a way to shut them down, because they've got out of control.

So, what sorts of things can I do with this idea? I'm hitting a bit of a mental block after coming up with the following:

Some kind of "arrest-making" cyborg whose mission it is to subdue people.

There's cyberware in the CP2020 book for increasing your run MA to ridiculous levels, there's extendable arms with Grapple check bonuses and so combining the two equals "run up, disarm and subdue in seconds"

What I am going to do as a "set piece" is have one of the huge cyborgs use one of the soldiers as a human shield if the players start getting a bit trigger happy with their minigun and flamer... D10+20 on grapple attacks and 32SP of armour on the arms will make escaping a little difficult.

What there will be is a setup where for the first four or five floors of the base, everything that moves will be hostile or a trap.

Then they get to the bottom level and there are civilians, and the same cyborgs who have previously been drilling at them or going all WHY SO SERIOUS, but doing their jobs properly - being orderlies. There's a whole group of the last few surviving patients in the sterile, sealed basement of the base, desperately waiting for the supplies that haven't come. They were the ones that wouldn't - or couldn't - leave, hidden away from the riots and war in a nuclear shelter. The only reason the doctors have been helping the PCs is they think they're a supply team, or someone come to help them.

The PCs have been sent under false pretences to silence them, because if their existence is revealed the nation's image is ruined.

>Information Servitor - creepy fucker, originally an info dispensing system, now broadcasts information around the base. E.g. players find one, "How can I be of service?" "Where's the doctor?" "Who are you?" "Soldiers." "ALERT ALERT ARMED INTRUSION IN THIS SECTOR DISPATCH CLEANUP TEAM"

I wrote this earlier today, hope it can be of some use to you OP. If you've already got a plot mapped out just ignore this as ramblings.

Information Servitor – Partially cyberised information terminals. Originally designed with a pure AI at its core, these terminals were upgraded when it was found that base staff refused to use them. The AI could dispense information quickly and efficiently, but it lacked subtlety, found it difficult to understand poorly worded queries and had too ‘robotic’ a personality.

The solution was to upgrade using a human brain. The human personality processed the information of the computer in an agreeable form but just as efficiently as before. Later models were even capable of holding limited conversations about non-work related topics. The only problem with the new cyborgs was the perennial one of biological components degrading over time. When times were good this wasn’t a problem, as healthy brains could be recovered relatively easily from patients whose injuries would be fatal but whose brains remained intact.

When things went wrong, and human medical personnel began to leave, the Information Servitors were repurposed as repositories of medical knowledge – doctors, rather than surgeons. They gave advice wherever they could to the other servitors, and as more human staff disappeared, began to take more direct control of the facility. This may have been the point at which the situation became irretrievable.

As the biological components of the I.S. began to decay, and without anyone to maintain them, their behaviour became more and more erratic. Once, all the servitors had acted as part of a ‘hive mind’, but soon individual personalities emerged. Perhaps they had begun to remember their old human lives. Perhaps the drugs that kept the biological components compliant and docile ran out. Perhaps cancers that went untreated began to warp their thought processes. Perhaps they simply went mad from the isolation.

Whatever the reason, the Info.Servs insanity soon affected the running of the base. Some ordered the creation of new cyborgs made from tainted and plague infested humans. Some began to order the other servitors to run increasingly violent defence protocols, or failed to distinguish between healthy survivors, patients and raw material for processing. Some had themselves built into a larger servitor chassis so that they could wander the facility by themselves, adding pieces from a variety of other servitor types so that they could do every job by themselves (Boss fight perhaps? Giant Frankenstein’s monster type robot with lots of different limbs and weapons and a video screen for a face)

The characters keep running into these servitors throughout the base. Almost all appear the same, with a video screen showing a friendly looking face and all have the same voice (I imagine Stephen Fry, but it can be anyone who seems friendly and non-threatening). If the characters go near one it will respond automatically. Some have lost all semblance of personality and may be catatonic or behave more like robots. Some are completely insane and will rant about things at the slightest provocation. However, even when they are saying nothing but how much they want to skin one of the party and wear his or her face as a mask, the servitors keep the same avuncular and kind tones (for maximum dissonance).

Others seem quite sane but seem to think that the party are cyborgs it can control, and when it discovers that they don’t respond to its orders labels them rogue agents and signals for a hunter servitor to come and disassemble them. Others see the party as attackers. Perhaps these ones respond to initial queries with paranoid ramblings and accusations that say something about what has happened here (Something like “Are you with the others? You are aren’t you. Are you with the others? They were killed you know. You are. You are with the others. You will not stop us from helping our patients. Engage lockdown procedure. Initiating crowd suppression procedure”). These paranoid ones might however be convinced by a particularly clever character that the party are on their side, but everyone else, including the other servitors, is not. It might be more willing to help then.

One last one. One Info.Serv appears to be functioning perfectly (perhaps this one could be one of the first ones the party encounters?). It is polite and pleasantly answers what questions it can, even though for some reason its memory banks are not operating at peak efficiency. When it is done and the party turn to leave, the Servitor suddenly speaks again in the same cheerful tone.

“Please kill me. It hurts very much.”

If any of the party responds it either seems confused or repeats its request. If any of them attack it to put it out of its misery it says something like

“Damaging facility equipment is not allowed. Desist or security will be called… Please kill me. It hurts very much.”

If they continue to attack, a hulking great security bot will be summoned. However, if they do kill the Info Serv then they get a reward later – maybe it opens an otherwise locked door in thanks, or gives some useful advice before expiring.

God that’s a lot. I hope it’s of some use. Might even use it myself in a similar campaign!

Oh, and don't forget about servitors built for a peaceful objective but who aggresively pursue their goal.

Cleaners that see anything in the corridors as waste to be processed, ncluding party members. Imagine Wall-E covered in blood stains from where he put the fat people into his compactor.

Cargo lifters that used to carry heavy equipment but now try and pick up and crush anything they can see.

Servitors designed to act as orderlies in mental wards - they see anyone outside a cell, they view them as escapees to be subdued. if you attack they fight back and attempt to grapple you. Some kind of prison in chest or taser prong fist. if they get a party member they take them down to the psych wards, where lobotomy is the first and last cure.

I'm thinking each of the four "levels" of the facility has a theme. The game will be more of a Tomb of Horrors, in that if the players reach the end, all well and good, but it will be more of a "how far can they get" affair.

On the first floor, the reception and cafe and all that, there's the Riot Servitors, still patrolling in case there's another uprising. They're straightforward. Huge and killy. Set pieces include them crashing through partitions, LB-X'ing things and burning people out.

The second floor is the long-stay wards, where there are orderlies and Labour Servitors - only a threat if provoked, but creepy. This is where exploration will be key, since the players will be able to find out what happened. However, they'll have to deal with the first few Information Terminals, who will be obstructive and menacing. For example "Patients or visitors are not allowed in this area. Please return, or I will call security." If ignored, it turns to "Intruders will be terminated with extreme prejudice. For your own safety, please wash your hands when leaving the ward." I'll be keeping a track of how many Terminals they annoyed, which will be relevant later.

The third floor is Surgery. This is where I fuck with the players with traps, stealthy surgeon cyborgs and some really Gygaxian insta-kills if they fuck up. The motto will be PAY ATTENTION AND DON'T PRESS ANYTHING.

On the fourth floor will be Security and Materials Storage. Plenty of environmental hazards and the ultimate fight with the Security Response Drone, which will have been made out of the wreckage of a light military mech sent to break up the riot, which was destroyed by the rioters. The Labour Servitors have since rebuilt it and it will be the boss fight - I'll be going for maximum creepy and dangerous, since the Information Terminals will be its core.

This scenario sounds pretty awesome... keep working on it. Maybe give one of your players (preferrably one with no medical skills) a chance to acquire a Doctor's ID, the cyborgs will go peaceful, but unfortunately, there's a surgical procedure scheduled and they mistake one of the other party members for the patient. Play along with it and try not to kill the patient PC, or give up and continue with the dakka?

>>3476917I've downloaded songs like The Borderline and some Conelrad, and want to get some elevator music as well. Nothing scarier, to my mind, than a fight with a robot in an underground chemical warehouse that's playing elevator music.

Should they survive, they've got the final test. They meet Dr. Avery and her patients in the bunker. Do they trust her, or do they hold her responsible for the hell they've been through? The choice is theirs.

And are the cyborgs who are treating the patients going to turn around and slice someone up?

I presume /tg/'s familiar with Silence in the Library (the Who episode)

DONNA NOBLE IS SAFEDONNA NOBLE HAS LEFT THE BUILDINGDONNA NOBLE IS SAFE

When the servitors are lucid, they're going to be a nightmarish mix of the info-points from that episode, Sharon Apple, GLaDOS and a department store tannoy.

When they're mad? Nasty shit.

I'm thinking also of a couple of REALLY nasty surprises down on surgery.

MRIs. Sensory Deprivation. Decompression chambers (the base was originally used for research into space and so on, and so there will be some unusual stuff there) and aggressive fire suppression systems (try to use a flamer on the surgery level and enjoy the lack of atmosphere)

There will be SAN checks. Even though the system doesn't support them, I'm cribbing Call of Cthulhu.

SAN loss won't make you arbitrarily kill party members, though. It will just have effects like "lose D10 REF and COOL until you personally kill something" or "Always rapid-fire at max burst until target is dead."

Someone who LOOKS normal, simply a little pale, but is in actuality completely lacking in blood cells and natural body fluids. In their places are nanites, self-sufficient, self-replicating nanites that are capable of rebuilding/repairing his body T-1000 style.

These two could make Elevator music. Search for "Elevator music instrumental" or "soothing instrumental". "Easy Listening" or "Raymond Lefevre" might work too, depending on what you want.http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bRIoO9NuAdghttp://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=lkbiB0QfU3s&feature=related

You could make the effect worse by having the cyberbeast comment on it in a concerned way while charging at them with razor sharp surgical implements"You seem stressed. You heart rate is elevated to dangerously high levels and you seem to breathing heavily. Please allow me to help. I can help you. You will do yourself injury"*smashes support column heroes are hiding behind with hydraulic hammer the size of a small car*"Perhaps some music would help you to relax."

>I'm thinking also of a couple of REALLY nasty surprises down on surgery.

MRIs. Sensory Deprivation. Decompression chambers (the base was originally used for research into space and so on, and so there will be some unusual stuff there) and aggressive fire suppression systems (try to use a flamer on the surgery level and enjoy the lack of atmosphere)

Of course if the servitors are designing the surgical enhancements then they may have gone with what seemed most "logical" to their slightly cracked minds. Bipedal locomotion? This is absurd! What happens if one breaks? How do you clamber over obstacles? Surely six to four would be better. Also, re: power supply. Digestion of food seems very inefficient. Perhaps some form of chemical battery / solar array would be better. Initial test results: Failure. Conjecture: Test subject uncooperative. More resiliant subject required.Note: Factor in gravity into next design. Note: Mk 1 solar panels tear from shoulder mounting in earth gravity. Suggested Outcome: Harvest salvage from test subject. Terminate waste.

The idea is more that as the number of professionals dwindled, they first tried "upgrading" themselves and volunteers from those who were left, and then once things started going really wrong sealed themselves away with the last few supplies (enough food and water for years, but they underestimated their medical supplies.)

The cyborgs were supposed to be remote controlled, or ordered around by the more sentient ones.

Then they went a bit mad. But they wouldn't have had anyone to experiment on or anything, and they're not THE FLESH IS WEAK types.

We're getting a bit too much into Adeptus Mechanicus territory, and I'm thinking more the doctor from Bioshock.

Well I'm quite dumb anyhow, System Shock was mentioned in your second post. Sorry about that.

Well, let's see. What was pretty cool with the midwives, even more that with the other SS2 monsters, is that you really knew what they were. Nurses turned into hideous machinery. You even knew the name of the first one and all.

You should try to pull something like that. Let them not be just cyborgs, but identifiable modified people.

Use children, too. Modified children, half-machine, that cry and ask for mommy and try to understand what is happening, all while tring to chop the PCs in pieces.

yes, I think that would be cool. Make some cyborgs sentients, not fully assimilated. Just people with machine parts, able to communicate but not control their bodies. The PCs will have to kill terrified, crying people, that shout when they are hit and sob and everything.

- futaba + futallaby + yotsuba -
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